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Irish Green construction to resume this spring

John Tierney | Friday, February 22, 2008

Construction on the Irish Green, a park behind the DeBartolo Performing Arts Center (DPAC), will resume this spring, with the hope of being completed for the beginning of the Fall 2008 semester, University Architect Douglas Marsh said.

The park is being built with an unspecified amount of money given by an anonymous donor, Marsh said.

The Irish Green is considered part of the DPAC site in the 2002 Campus Plan, which aims to allow the University to expand in a way that retains the character of the campus, but also does not prevent or stifle growth.

The park will feature 200 large specimen trees, a lawn, and a terrace extending from the DPAC that “will act as a place for receptions, performances, and other special events,” Marsh said.

Weaving through the lawn and terrace will be pathways, benches, and a monument, that has not yet been designed.

The opening of the Irish Green is timed to coincide with the beginning of the construction on the Eddy Street Commons, Marsh said. By incorporating the park into the Eddy Street plan, the University hopes the Irish Green will serve as a link between the campus and the South Bend residential community.

“It is designed to be a transitional space between campus and community,” Marsh said. “We believe that it will be attractive to the entire Notre Dame and South Bend community.”

The Irish Green’s proximity to DPAC will also play a major role in its utility.

According to Marsh, DPAC will be able to use both the terrace and the large expanse of the lawn to host performances and other events.